In Tornado Aftermath, Alabama Moves Ahead with Statewide Code

In Tornado Aftermath, Alabama Moves Ahead with Statewide Code

In Tornado Aftermath, Alabama Moves Ahead with Statewide
Code

Alabama, along with next-door neighbor Mississippi, is one
of the few states left in the U.S. where building codes are not
enforced statewide. But that's about to change; in mid-March,
the Alabama Energy and Residential Codes Board voted
unanimously to adopt the 2009 International Residential Code
and the 2009 International Energy Conservation Code. The new
codes take effect on October 1.
As Birmingham News editor Bob Blalock observes, the
move to a stronger code has gained momentum following last
year's devastating tornado strikes across Alabama, which tore
through communities large and small
("
Bob Blalock: Many good reasons why the state needs a building
code
.") For state Representative Greg Wren, who sponsored
Alabama's 2010 law creating the Codes Board, the codes effort
is "real personal," Blalock writes: "The massive tornado that
carved Tuscaloosa in half destroyed the home along 15th Street
where Wren's daughter, son-in-law and grandson lived. They and
Wren's wife, who had gone to Tuscaloosa to baby-sit, rode out
the storm at the University of Alabama's Ferguson Center.
Wren's son-in-law, who is working on a doctorate, lost three
classmates."
But the code effort pre-dates last year's killer tornado
cells: the original impetus for passing a statewide code was
energy efficiency. Upgrading to modern energy codes was a
condition the Congress imposed on states to qualify for their
share of stimulus money in the 2009 Recovery Act. And Alabama
had &euro;” and still has
&euro;” a long way to go: writes Blalock,
"As Gov. Robert Bentley's Tornado Recovery Action Council noted
in its report on the April 27 storms, 60 of Alabama's 67
counties and about 90 percent of its cities have no building
code."
Under the 2010 law, and following this month's decision by
the Codes Board, towns and counties with no existing code will
leapfrog many of the municipalities that do enforce a code, but
where the code in force is an earlier version. Jason Reid,
Regulatory Affairs Director at Home Builders Association of
Alabama, explained to Coastal Connection this week: "We
wanted a statewide code, but the problem we had is that cities
and counties are already authorized by law to develop their own
code. So when we started the process, we said,
&euro;&tilde;We are all for a statewide code,
but the cities and counties that already have their own codes
are going to want to keep them.' And they did. So we passed a
law that says, okay, if you're in an area that doesn't have a
formally locally adopted code as of the implementation date,
this is your code.' And they based it on the 2009 IRC."
"There really were three parts to the 2010 bill," Reid says.
"One was, you'll do a statewide building code; two, you'll pass
a statewide energy code that applies to everybody, period,
regardless of whether you've adopted a local standard or not.
That way we get back into compliance with the Recovery Act
requirements. And then the other portion was that it restricted
communities from being able to mandate residential fire
sprinklers."
Reid says the Codes Board decision is still subject to
legislative review. But assuming it takes effect on October 1
as planned, he says, "all new structures will be built to the
2009 IRC, unless your city has adopted something else
&euro;” which, I think the oldest code in
the state right now is the 2003 edition."
"Our goal," says Reid, "if the process works as it's
supposed to, is: you go through a kind of a trust-building
process that shows, &euro;&tilde;These guys are
level headed. They understand the codes.' So if you're, say,
the city of Montgomery, and you're looking to update your code,
ultimately you'll look and say,
&euro;&tilde;Hey &euro;”
they got it right.'" As more early-adopting states work the
bugs out of the newer editions of the codes, says Reid, Alabama
will benefit by having a more polished code that is ready to
use right out of the box.
Meanwhile, the Alabama Department of Economic and Community
Affairs (ADECA) is working on education and outreach about the
state's new energy code. Here, for instance, is a YouTube video
tour of the Alabama Residential Energy Code Field Guide,
introduced by Karen Clifton, ADECA's Energy Program
Manager.